Candidates can handle being turned down, what they don’t like is silence.
Between June and October 2026, we asked 401 UK jobseekers what hiring looks like from their side of the advert.
Their answers point to a handful of things hiring managers control, most of them cost nothing to fix. Below is what they told us, in their own words and what you can do about it.
Key findings
- 41% of jobseekers named silence or ghosting from employers as the most frustrating part of looking for work, 3.4 times as many as named rejection.
- 39% have been put off applying by an advert with no salary, rising to 45% of people who started looking in the last two weeks.
- A long application form has put off 32%, nearly three times as many as a request for a cover letter (11%).
- 67% expect a job offer within two weeks of applying, largely in transport and logistics roles.
- 19% have accepted a job offer and then pulled out before starting.
- 87% accept employers using AI in hiring in some form. The most common view (35%) is that it’s fine if a person makes the final decision.
Silence hurts more than a no
When we asked what frustrates them most about looking for work, 41% named silence from employers. No reply, no feedback, or a reply that’s slow to come.
For every person who named rejection, 3.4 named silence
The most frustrating part of looking for work right now, share of jobseekers
Silence from employers: no reply, no feedback or slow replies
Rejection, no interviews or not getting the job
Source: Get Staffed candidate survey, 401 UK jobseekers, June to October 2026.
Based on people who described a frustration. One answer can count in more than one theme.
Get Staffed · Candidates Voice Q3
People in work named it as often as people out of work. Silence bothers the candidate you’re trying to tempt away from their current job as much as the one who needs a job this month.
“That employers don’t get back. A simple ‘you have not been selected on this occasion’, bog standard copy paste. It’s decent manners.”
Employed, actively looking
“Most frustrating part is applying to lots of roles and not getting any feedback or updates. Sometimes I don’t even know if my application was seen.”
Not employed, looking for six months or more
Silence also costs you the next application. One candidate wrote this in when we asked what had stopped them applying for jobs:
“Most of the time you hear nothing back from jobs, so it puts you off applying the same way you’re getting rejected.”
Not employed
A rejection email takes one template and a minute, send it to everyone you don’t take forward.
A hidden salary loses the newest candidates first
39% of jobseekers have been put off applying for a job because no salary was advertised. It’s the most common reason on our list.
You might expect people out of work to apply anyway. They don’t. 36% of jobseekers without a job have still been put off by an advert with no salary.
The people most likely to skip it are the ones who started looking in the last two weeks: 45%, against 29% of people who’ve been looking for six months or more. Leave the salary off and you lose the people newest to the market first.
“Leaving remuneration blank.”
Employed, actively looking
“No salary and no response.”
Employed, actively looking
Put a range on the advert. Even if you’re not the best payers, being up front and clear will save everyone, including yourself, a lot of time further into the process.
Fix the form
Really think about what information you need from the candidate at this stage and do you really need it in an application form.
A missing salary or a long form puts off far more people than a cover letter
Share of jobseekers who say this has ever stopped them applying for a job
No salary advertised
A long application form
The job is 100% office based
Being asked for a cover letter
Source: Get Staffed candidate survey, 401 UK jobseekers, June to October 2026.
Selected answers. People could choose more than one.
Get Staffed · Candidates Voice Q3
Over three times as many people have been put off by a missing salary as by a request for a cover letter. About a third have been put off by a long application form. One in five has skipped a job because it was 100% office based.
“Not hearing back from the ones you’ve applied to and long application forms.”
Not employed, looking for under two weeks
Apply for your own job, on your phone. Anything that annoys you will annoy them. Make sure you’re not asking for repeated information, especially with a CV. And question if you need the answer to that question when they apply, or can it wait till the screening stage or first interview.
You have two weeks
Two in three jobseekers (67%) expect an offer within two weeks of applying. Nearly a third expect one inside a week.
Having a job doesn’t buy you more time, among people in work and actively looking, 73% expect an offer within two weeks. And half of all the jobseekers we asked had been looking for less than a month. The people applying today won’t be on the market for long.
Book your interview slots before the advert goes live. Then the two weeks go on deciding instead of diary tennis.
An accepted offer is not a hire yet
One in five jobseekers (19%) has accepted a job offer and then changed their mind before starting. Add the people who were tempted to and it’s 23%.
It’s tempting to blame a counter-offer from their current employer. Our data doesn’t back that up. People out of work pull out as often as people in work, and they have no counter-offer to weigh up.
“It takes longer time to get a response to know when to start.”
Not employed, looking for two to four weeks
Treat the gap between the yes and day one as part of hiring. Confirm the offer and start date in writing the same day, and call in the week before they start.
Candidates will accept AI if a person makes the call
87% of jobseekers accept companies using AI in hiring in some form. The most common view, held by 35%, is that it’s fine as long as a human makes the final decision. Only 13% say AI shouldn’t be used in hiring at all.
And if you’re blaming AI for a flood of applications, most candidates aren’t using it. 57% haven’t used AI anywhere in their job search.
The objection is to screening that feels instant and mechanical.
“The AI screening process seems unfair and robotic.”
Not employed, looking for one to three months
“Rejected in less than 24 hrs.”
Employed, actively looking
If you screen with AI, have a person check the shortlist before anyone is turned down.
What to change before your next hire
None of this needs a new system or a bigger budget.
- Send every applicant a decision, including the ones you don’t shortlist.
- Put the salary on the advert.
- Apply for your own job on your phone and cut whatever slows you down.
- Book interview slots before the advert goes live, and decide within two weeks.
- Keep in touch between the offer and the first day.
If you want more of the right people applying in the first place, Get Staffed puts your advert on the UK’s biggest job boards for one flat fee. Post your next job with us and see who applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should employers tell candidates they haven't got the job?
Yes. 41% of the jobseekers we surveyed named silence from employers as the most frustrating part of looking for work, 3.4 times as many as named rejection. A short template email to everyone you don’t take forward is enough.
Should you put the salary on a job advert?
Yes. 39% of jobseekers have been put off applying by an advert with no salary, and so have 45% of people who started looking in the last two weeks. If you can’t publish the full band, publish the bottom of it.
How long should a hiring process take?
Aim to make an offer within two weeks of someone applying. 67% of jobseekers expect one in that time, and so do 73% of people already in work and actively looking.
Why do candidates pull out after accepting a job offer?
Our survey shows how often it happens, not why. 19% of jobseekers have accepted an offer and then pulled out before starting. People out of work pull out as often as people in work, so counter-offers can’t be the whole story. Keep in touch until their first day.
Do candidates mind employers using AI in hiring?
Most don’t. 87% accept it in some form, and the most common view (35%) is that it’s fine as long as a person makes the final decision. Only 13% say AI shouldn’t be used in hiring at all.
About the survey: 401 UK jobseekers answered between June and October 2026, almost all of them shortly after applying for a job through a UK job board. Each figure is the share of people who gave that answer. Frustration figures are based on people who described a frustration in their own words. For what our own platform data shows about applications and job boards, see the Q3 2026 UK Recruitment Report.
